The crowd stretched from the front of the platform to the end of the street, a dense sea of heads.
Civilians, merchants, ninja, nobles—everyone was there.
A huge crowd had turned out for Danzo's last public trial. This time, the clan massacre involved four names: Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakashi, and Uchiha Itachi. Nearly everyone in Konoha knew each of them.
The chatter in the crowd bubbled like a boiling pot.
"Did you hear? Uchiha Itachi wiped out the Shimura Clan!"
"Bullshit. Hiruzen Sarutobi did it. My cousin works for ANBU, and he told me himself."
"What about Kakashi? Did that Copy Ninja run off too?"
"He did. They say he killed someone with the Lightning Blade. The evidence is conclusive."
"And Danzo? Isn't he still locked up?"
"He is. They'll probably bring him out in a minute."
"Tsk. Konoha's finished."
"Finished, my ass. Lord Yongye's got our backs!"
"I heard Lord Yongye was the one who brought Uchiha Itachi back! He really puts justice above everything else!"
"He's our Night Qingtian!"
"The hell is wrong with you? If you don't know what you're saying, shut up! 'Night Qingtian'? Doesn't that make it sound like we're living in darkness?"
"Last time, Danzo got beaten with two hundred strokes right here."
"Wonder who they'll beat this time."
"No female ninja committed any crimes? What a letdown! I wanted to see one... stripped and beaten!"
"Now, if Lady Tsunade got beaten, that would be—"
"Do you have a death wish?"
A stir suddenly ran through the crowd.
The people in front parted to either side, opening a path.
Tsunade walked through it.
She wore the white haori of the Fifth Hokage. Its hem brushed the ground, catching a soft sheen in the afternoon sun.
Her long golden hair was tied in a high